Out There in the World
by ggfan1979
Summary: Begins after A Family Matter scene in which Rory and Lorelai see Jess sleeping in his car. How I wish things would have gone. Literati. Sigh...
1. Chapter 1

Rory laid in the dark bedroom facing the window, her eyes wide open. The familiar twin bed was some comfort—it was here that she always felt safe to think or imagine any number of things as she drifted off to sleep. Normally, she looked forward to the quiet solitude at the end of the day when she was wholly alone and free with her thoughts; happy thoughts became transcendental while problems seemed smaller and simpler here in the dark just before sleep. But tonight she loathed her thoughts, cursing herself as a weak girl who couldn't get over the boy who had treated her so badly. Did she really think so little of herself that she could lay here and dream the stupid dream that he would come back, say he loved her, take her in his arms and kiss her? God, she made herself sick, and she hated the way she fulfilled every gender stereotype by, damn it, still caring about him and wanting to have a reason to forgive him.

She groaned and rolled over, curling up a bit to stare at her bookshelf. She hated the way she remembered every detail of every conversation they'd ever had. Every kind gesture, every significant joke, every time they had hurt each other, and she couldn't help dwelling last on their inability to communicate when it mattered most. Well, his inability to communicate, she thought, returning to the angry feeling she'd happily embraced when she saw him sleeping in his car. She never knew how she'd react when she saw Jess again, but now she knew that it was with blinding rage (of course she didn't show this on the outside—she was terribly calm when she told her Mom she was going home). But once she got home, into bed, alone in the dark, she couldn't escape her other, more complicated feelings.

"Oh…dammit!" she exclaimed under her breath. Her chest burned and she felt her eyes tearing up. Almost a year at Yale and plenty of time to move on, and she was still hung up on the boy who also loved Allen Ginsberg, was willing to try Tolstoy's Anna, secretly hated Jane Austen (she just knew it), but loved Dostoevsky. And…Hemingway. They both sought literature that smacked of passion or madness, sincere feeling and no bullshit, a willingness to embrace the things that mattered no holds barred…this was why she couldn't get over him. Also, she couldn't stop thinking how hot he was. Just as she finally indulged herself in remembering what it was like to kiss him, caress the warm skin beneath his shirt, and feel the rough fabric of his jeans under her hands, a clatter of small stones hit her window.

Shocked out of her reverie and a bit embarrassed, though only she knew how rapidly she was headed towards dirty, dirty thoughts, she sat up in bed. The covers fell from her shoulders, and she shivered. She knew it was Jess outside and, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders, she stalked to the window. She flicked the lock on the top of the sash open and forced the window up, requiring an exertion of the little strength she had at such a moment—her heart raced more as a result. He was there, standing there, staring at her and saying nothing. He looked very cold and, somehow, less cocky than he did before he left Stars Hollow. It's weird to see him wearing a hat, she thought absently. Her mouth didn't hang open, but her eyes were disarmingly round and as the wind stirred the blanket she wore like a shawl, she said nothing.

"I wrote you a letter," he stated, his voice gentle. "I know you don't want to talk to me, but, anyway, here. I hope you'll read it," he spoke so that his last sentence sounded like a question, and reached into his back pocket. He stepped closer to the window to hold out a piece of paper. She leaned forward to take it, and felt its texture, soft from being folded and re-folded, worried over. She felt sorry for him in that moment. He looked so desperately unhappy, he wasn't dressed right for the cold, he'd been sleeping in his car.

She hesitated before saying, "Should I read it right now?"

"Sure, if you want," he responded.

"Okay." She leaned against the window sill as he continued to stand outside. He looked at her face to catch her reaction then, feeling like he didn't have the right to watch her, he looked away.

_Rory,_

_I'm sorry. Really sorry. It's important to say. I never wanted things to end like they did, and I never wanted to hurt you. You deserve better, and you deserve an apology from a guy like me, who's not as bad as what I did. I left last year for so many reasons. You don't have to know why and it's not an excuse, but I want you to know that it had nothing to do with you. I hope you can forgive me, because I'll always care about you. It bothers me to think that you're out there in the world and hating me. Maybe that's a selfish impulse, but it is what it is. _

_Jess_

"I was going to send you the letter, but I'm in town to pick up my car. I heard you and Lorelai walk by my car earlier, so I knew you knew I was here." Shock registered on Rory's face, but she didn't say anything.

"I don't know," he hugged his arms closer to his chest, "I just wanted to give it to you, to see if you wanted to talk to me."

The letter brought the events of last year back, brought back the anger she'd felt earlier. She dwelled on the last line of the letter, finding it rude, abrasive. She was shaking now, more noticeably than he, and felt frustrated that he was standing there looking so vulnerable, asking something of her, stirring up contradictory emotions that she had worked so hard to quell.

"Jess, I don't know what to do with all this, and I'm not about to ask you inside. I don't know when, or if, I'll want to talk to you. Just, stay away from me for awhile, okay?"

"Okay," he nodded slowly, frowned. He remained there as if rooted to the frozen ground.

"Good night." She closed the window and quickly lowered the blind. "Back to staring at the bookshelf," she muttered, climbing back into bed. She laid down with the letter in her hand, held against her chest under the covers.

When Rory told Jess to stay away, she had no idea that being ignored would hurt so badly. She had already run into him twice today. In Weston's he took one look at her and said "I'm leaving," and in the bookstore he hadn't even said anything.

She wondered if she had hurt him by reacting the way she did to his letter, but what right did he have to expect her trust again so immediately?

"None, that's what!" she reassured herself as she walked home. A couple of people glanced at her as she talked aloud, but she told herself it was just because they were nosey, not because she was clearly upset.

"I'm home!" Rory yelled as she walked in the front door.

"Hi sweet girl! What's up? Did you…run into anyone again?" asked Lorelai, a little winded from hurrying down the stairs to meet her.

"Well, yeah. In the bookstore." Rory stood in front of the once-broken window. An easy subject change. "I see the window's fixed. Did Luke have any trouble with it?"

"Oh, no. No trouble. He's had trouble with some other things. A certain angst-ridden, leather jacket-wearing, too-cool-for-school teenager who would have us all believe that his favorite movie is Taxi Driver when we all know that, really, it's The Cutting Edge."

"What?"

"Oh, you know, that wonderfully sweet figure skating movie from a few years back. He was a hockey player with a rock n' roll attitude; she, a spoiled rich girl used to getting what she wanted. Together, they skated their way to the top, but not before they fell in love! You haven't seen that one yet?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "No, I mean, what happened with Jess?"

"I don't know the details. But he hurt Luke's feelings so I yelled at him and told him you were happy without him and—that he should leave," she finished by pointing her finger in the air one last time to emphasize the vehemence of her feelings.

"Oh, mom."

"Well, he's a bastard person. And Luke is…just the opposite."

"Well, yes Luke is great, but that's not the point. And Jess is not such a huge bastard either, you know. He…came to see me last night—"

"What? That freakshow—" Lorelai began to rant again.

"No Mom, you don't understand," Rory interrupted. "He came to apologize for all that he's done and warn me that he was here in town so things wouldn't be awkward. He wanted to talk and I, I think he's changed somehow."

"Hmmm…" Lorelai drew her lips into a thin line, not willing to say anything else. Rory surprised herself by wanting to defend Jess, by feeling like it was only fair to.

"He was really very kind, not angry. He said he cared about me and that he hoped I would forgive him. But that he would understand if I couldn't. Actually he said it in a letter that he had obviously put some thought into. I think he didn't want to actually say the wrong thing when we talked because you know how unpredictable _speaking_ can be. But I, I was mad at the time and it was late, and cold, so I told him I didn't want to see him any time soon. And he accepted that, without any anger or pressure for me to act differently than I wanted to." Rory grasped her messenger bag strap tighter and ducked her head, becoming quiet suddenly. Lorelai's heart caught at Rory's attempt to remain stoic.

"Okay, what a terrible mother I am to leave you standing, well, not in the foyer but just outside it, when you should be sitting on the couch, under a blanket with a mug of steaming hot chocolate. Let's sit, okay? And, put your bag down." Lorelai gestured toward the couch and put her arm around Rory's waist as they went to sit down together. She arranged a blanket over Rory's lap, tucking it in around her legs.

"I'm not an invalid, Mom. I can tuck in my own blanket if it needs tucking."

"Oh, you talk too much when I'm trying to smother you with affection. Now, you can tell me all about your feelings and what happened and we can over-analyze everything as much as you want. Or, we can just sit. Whatever you want to do. Now, should I go make you some hot chocolate? And by make I mean throw some water, possibly a dash of milk, into the microwave and add some powdered Swiss Miss." Lorelai smiled, and tucked a strand of hair behind Rory's ear.

"That'd be nice. And thanks for not calling it ho-cho."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: None of these characters were created by me, obviously. The beginning of this chapter contains some dialogue from the show. If you recognize it, I didn't write it.

**A/N: Here's Chapter Two. Warning: The f-word shows up once here. I just think it's realistic in this context. Does that mean it should be rated M instead of T?**

Jess prepared to leave town with mixed feelings. He wasn't too excited about anything he was doing now: going back to New York and working some crap job or leaving Stars Hollow without talking to Rory again. He especially wasn't happy about the latter. After paying Gypsy, he got into his car and flipped down the visor. An envelope of money dropped into his lap. He shook his head. It wasn't right to take anymore from Luke, and he headed toward the diner to tell him that.

Meanwhile, Rory thought that her grandparent's charity event hadn't been a blast, but she was happy to be standing in line for burgers at the Firelight Festival. She felt better after her conversation with her mom, but her unresolved feelings about Jess still gnawed at her, and she wondered whether he was gone. It bothered her that he had been the one in control earlier today, and she felt powerless now to decide what was happening between them.

She glanced over and, suddenly, he was standing not ten feet away, as if her thinking had willed him there. This time he seemed surprised too, with that deer-in-the-headlights look. They both stood silently for a moment and then Rory remembered what she wanted to do.

"I get to leave first!" she burst out, and took off running, her pink skirt flipping around her knees.

"Rory, wait, stop!" Jess yelled, following.

"No! You don't get to walk away!"

"I just wanna—where are you going?" He yelled, losing breath.

"None of your business!" she shot back. She criss-crossed the street like a little kid, causing him to imitate her wild path.

"We look like idiots!" he yelled.

"I don't care!"

"Stop running!"

"Stop following!" she yelled back, exasperated.

"Oh, come on."

"Go away, I'm leaving!"

"Rory, stop!" Jess begged.

"Why?"

"Because I want to talk to you," he overtook her now, rushing up to her side and cutting her off.

"About what?" she demanded, finally standing still.

"When did you learn to run like that?" he asked, catching his breath.

"Oh, yes, ha ha, very funny Jess. Do you have anything else to say that isn't a clever joke, after ignoring me all day?"

"Rory, that's what you asked me to do. You didn't say ignore, but you did say to leave you alone," He reminded her.

"You didn't have to seem so mad when you did it. I should have been the one to walk away. You know, I used to think about seeing you again. A lot. How would Jess explain what he did? I mean, he just took off, no note, no call, nothing, how could he explain that? And then a year goes by. No word, nothing, so he couldn't possibly have a good excuse for that, right?" If she hadn't been so angry, she might have noticed that Jess looked almost like he might cry.

"Could we sit down?" Jess asked, sounding tired and a little anxious.

Rory considered. Maybe she was overreacting a little. She had gotten some things off her chest after making him run around like an idiot, and she was surprised he'd actually followed. Maybe he had a right to say what he wanted to say while sitting down.

"Okay, let's sit," she conceded. "There's an empty bench over there," she pointed and glanced at his face. "Okay?"

"Okay," he answered, and they walked over, remaining carefully apart.

Rory sat at the end of the bench and clasped her hands together on her knees, looking at the ground. He mirrored her posture, then took a breath and faced her.

"Rory, I have something I want to tell you."

"Jess, you sound so serious. What—"

"I love you."

She stared at him and his words hung in the air, unreciprocated, unanswered by any response. Seconds seemed like minutes to him, and he felt humiliated that she wouldn't say anything. He nodded, stood up, and began to walk away.

Something in Rory's brain snapped back on and she couldn't let him go. She didn't think about it, she just stood up.

"Jess, wait!" He turned around immediately, halted.

Ignoring what he'd said, she addressed what really worried her, loudly, "Where are you even going? Where do you live? God, you can't just go again. What if someone, I don't know, needs to reach you?" She fished for a name other than her own, "Like Luke?"

A wave of relief washed over him when she yelled. He hadn't planned on telling her he loved her during this visit; he had decided to give her more time. But when he had to run after her through the Stars Hollow streets, he realized he didn't have more time. Only in his wildest dreams had he hoped she'd say "I love you" back—he hadn't even really imagined it for fear he'd jinx it. But he had wanted her to know how he felt, and he figured that if she had said anything showing that she cared, he was happy.

And she did care. He could see now that those three words had earned back some of Rory's old feeling for him. He smiled.

"And Luke is the only one who'd want to get in touch with me?"

"Well, I don't know. Maybe other people. Kirk, for example. Look. What are your plans?" she demanded.

"I got back from California a couple of weeks ago. I crashed at Liz's for a while, but she cramps my style, you know?"

"Don't be a smartass, Jess."

"I don't know. The last few days I've been crashing at different friend's places until they get sick of me while I look for a job."

"What kind of job?"

"Well, not a good one," he admitted. "Maybe waiting tables or construction. Both pay pretty good."

Rory let out a loud breath in frustration, "That is the biggest fucking waste I've ever heard of in my life!" she exclaimed.

"Rory, did you just drop the f-bomb?" He wasn't pretending to be shocked.

"Oh, whatever, I cuss all the time. Well, not really but…when did this become about me? You should so be in school and you know it."

"I started preparing for the GED exam in California," Jess stated.

Rory's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Jess, that is so great." He grinned at her approval. An idea occurred to her and she said it without thinking, again, "I think you should stay here in Stars Hollow and go to school. That way you can save money too."

"I'll consider staying in Stars Hollow on one condition." Jess spoke slowly, and it seemed like all of this was occurring to him for the first time. Rory briefly wondered if this conversation wasn't part of a larger plan.

"What's that?" Rory asked shortly.

"You have to agree to be my friend again." Jess stared at her innocently, hands in his pockets.

Rory was relieved he hadn't asked more. "Agreed. Wait—what exactly does _friend_ mean to you?"

Jess shrugged and smiled ever so slightly.

Rory continued as he remained stubbornly quiet, "I mean, how do we make sure it stays platonic? Do you want to be my friend like Lane is my friend? Talk about guys, have slumber parties, and give each other makeovers?"

"The slumber party part I wouldn't mind so much." Jess said, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

Rory blushed.

Enjoying himself, he continued. "But I think I'm happy with the look I have going right now. No makeovers necessary."

"Seriously, Jess, what does it mean?" Rory persisted with some intensity.

Jess responded, his voice softer and the smirk gone, "It means…that you talk to me again. About books and music. That you smile sometimes when you see me, and that you make fun of me when I say dumb stuff. That you work on forgiving me. And I'll work on not being a jerk. Promise." He looked at her as he had just moments ago when he said he loved her.

She hesitated, "Well, I guess that sounds fair. Just friends?"

"Just friends," he replied quickly.

"Well all right…I'm gonna go find my Mom then, and get some food."

"Of course."

"So I'll see you later." Rory began to walk away. She turned back, and Jess was still standing, looking after her. "Good night, Jess," Rory insisted, rolling her eyes.

"I'm just watching you go. Real friendly like." He smiled.

Rory smiled back but walked away quickly, glad that she could grin without him seeing her face.

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Luke ambled back to the diner from the Festival feeling happy. Liz seemed good with T.J., and Lorelai had looked so pretty standing next to the bonfire. From faraway, he spotted the dark figure sitting on the front steps of the diner and his whole body tensed. He headed towards Jess quickly, wanting to get any confrontation that might occur over with. He looked down at him, hands on hips.

"Jess. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?"

"Luke…"

Luke folded his arms and stood with eyebrows raised. "What are you here for?"

Jess stood. "A couple things. First of all, I can't take money from you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Luke, yes you do." He pulled the envelope out of his jacket pocket and held it out. "I can't take this money from you. But thanks."

With a sigh, Luke took the extended envelope and looked more closely at Jess' face, trying to read it in the semi-darkness. "Is there anything else, Jess? Where are you headed? What are your plans? Ya know, for a job and a place to live?"

Jess took a breath, mustering his courage. "Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about. I want to come back." He faced Luke and spoke clearly to ask this favor, rather than ducking his head and mumbling like he did two years ago.

Luke started a bit, tilting his head back. He hadn't expected this. He grabbed Jess by the arm, none too gently. "Come on, let's go inside," he said. The closed sign rattled against the door as he shut it behind them.

"Oh, my God. Deja vu, Jess. I think I've had this conversation before. Was it—it was with you, wasn't it?" Luke spoke quickly and sarcastically.

"Luke, I'm sorry if I was rude when you first saw me last night. It was being here, not knowing what to expect or who I would see. I'm not the most popular guy in this town, and trying to guess how many people hate me and how much is not my favorite pastime. This place makes me tense, you know?"

"Uh huh. Then why do you want to come back here, Jess? Is it because of Rory? Are you still hung up on her? Because, last time, after you left—" He stopped abruptly, not sure how to talk about Rory's feelings, or even if he should. "She didn't say anything to me, obviously, but it was a long time before she came back into the diner without getting this weird look on her face every so often. Like she was remembering something painful. I'm not sure anyone noticed besides me and Lorelai but," he threw his hands in the air, frustrated. "It was bad, Jess. I can't let it happen again." And he fixed him with what could only be called a withering stare.

"I know I hurt her. And I'm sorry about that. But, Luke, I'm asking you—please let me come back and live here with you. I got nowhere else to go." This time he did duck his head and mumble the last sentence, embarrassed.

"What's that?"

"I got nowhere else to go!" Jess raised his voice for the first time in the conversation.

"Isn't that supposed to be Richard Gere's line?" Luke smiled at his own joke, enjoying Jess' discomfort.

Jess glared and yelled, "Fine, what do you want me to say? My father didn't want me living with him anymore—I could tell—and my Mom's batshit crazy? Do you know how much an apartment costs in New York? I can't put down a security deposit until I get a job, but I can't get a job without a place to live!" He stopped to take a breath and lowered his voice, still glaring, "And I don't even know what movie you're talking about, old man."

"An Officer and a Gentleman; it was a really famous scene. In 1982. Look, you shouldn't talk about your Mother that way, even if she is a little…colorful."

Jess nodded. "So, what do you think?" He looked at Luke and Luke looked at him.

"Things will have to be different." Luke shook his head. "Dammit, that's what I said last time." He put his hands on his hips and spoke louder. "Really different this time. You're not even really living here. It's on a trial basis until I say so. That means I could kick you out at any moment. Maybe I don't like the way your deodorant smells—you're gone!" He pointed at the door, then paused in his tirade. "And…you won't just work at the diner, although you'll definitely be doing that. No Wal-Mart, that's for sure. School, in some form. You start working on your GED tomorrow. Then, oh, you're going to college, my friend. I don't care what college, you can start out at the community college over in Middletown or Waterbury. And there's one in New Haven too."

Jess smiled, thinking of Yale and Rory.

"And don't you smile like that, you punk. I know what you're thinking. No thinking about Rory that way. Or you'll be out on your ass!" Luke finished yelling, blinked several times, and stormed over to the curtain that lead to his apartment, disappearing quickly. When he was halfway up the stairs his voice came down, muffled, "Your bed and stuff's still in the same place. So…I guess I'll see you when you come up." He finished awkwardly.

Jess, like Luke, had been standing throughout the conversation. Now he pulled a chair out from one of the tables and sat down. "Same old Luke." He smiled to himself, leaned forward to rest his elbows on the table, and looked out onto the Stars Hollow street.

**A/N: So, if you have an opinion please let me know. This is my first ever fanfic and any feedback would be appreciated. It's too bad the outcome of characters is determined by actors--this is totally what I think would have happened if Milo Ventimiglia would have come back to GG.**


	3. Chapter 3

Rory's eyes opened to a dim bedroom, though the morning was well on its way toward noon. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and wondered whether it was supposed to snow last night. Her flannel pajamas crackled and sparked against the flannel sheets as she shoved herself from bed and stepped to the closest window to survey the landscape, though not with the elated feeling that hovered in the pit of her stomach at eleven years old, or would have even now if she'd been in a better mood. The sky was full of grey clouds, which had recently dusted everything with three inches of snow. Perfect weather for hibernating or brooding.

She hopped back into bed and pulled the covers over her head to review last night's events. Jess, an ass. Jess, an idiot. So, of course, immediate forgiveness coupled with an inability to freeze him out had been her unthinking approach. Well, she hadn't forgiven him totally, but when it came to Jess she was always doing things she knew were probably not in her best interest. It was impossible to talk to him like a distant friend or acquaintance. Just like a bag of Doritos, once she got started she couldn't stop.

"Leave the bag unopened, or tear it up and scarf the whole thing," she muttered aloud, scorning her behavior.

She always opened the bag intending to eat two or three, or just the recommended serving size, approximately 13 chips. But half an hour later, she'd be staring at a few chip scraps rattling around in a vacant bag. As if following her thoughts, Rory's stomach growled and she lost track of the ways Jess was like a bag of Doritos.

"Sustenance now," she commanded herself.

Fully expecting to step into the kitchen and find Lorelai there with a cup of coffee, she furrowed her brow at the empty coffee maker and silent room.

"Mom?" Rory asked as she walked into the family room. The look of surprise on her face when she saw Lorelai outside scraping ice off the jeep was only slightly less dramatic than the time Lane dyed her hair purple, then insisted they die it back to black.

Slipping her feet into shoes she found in the foyer she rushed outside, folding her arms across her chest in defense against the cold.

"What are you doing?" Rory asked.

"What am I doing? You'd best get back inside and bask in the glory of every window in that house being fully functional and weather sealed."

"I can't believe you're up and outside on a snowy Sunday morning."

"Well, daughter o' mine, I'll have you know I'm preparing to journey to Doose's where I will acquire well-liked foodstuffs. Despite last night's snowfall I'm prepared to brave the streets; that's just the kind of mother I am. I figured, ya know…Luke's—not that good after all. Not on this particular morning." She made a sweeping gesture, her arm taking in a patch of sky, some nearby evergreen trees, and Babette's garden gnomes. "On a morning like this we need, among other things, bacon, a box of assorted donuts, and Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. Clearly." She continued her scraping efforts, the metal on glass rasping loudly.

"Mom, let's just go to Luke's."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm totally fine. I'm freezing my butt off, so can we talk about why I'm fine later? Let's just go to Luke's this morning for the pancakes that I love and won't be able to have until my next visit. Jess is not a big enough deal to come between a girl and her pancakes. With a side of bacon."

"Of course."

"Of course," Rory echoed, not sure whether her mom meant that of course bacon must go with pancakes, or of course a boy should not affect a girl's food choices.

Lorelai tilted her head and paused a noticeable beat or two before replying. "Okay, but can we take the jeep anyway? See how cute she is this morning? And she was so sweet while I scraped off the snow and ice…good girl," Lorelai finished, patting the driver's side window.

"Must you anthropomorphize everything? We can walk. It's obvious you're just trying to rationalize your laziness."

Lorelai opened her mouth and closed it again, trying to come up with a real killer comeback. "Oooh, big words from a small girl—Yale's paying off!"

Rory glared.

"Mocking me before I've been showered and coffeed is unacceptable. I will see you again after I've completed these aforementioned rituals." Turning quickly, she strode, with a small sleepy stumble, into the house.

"Yeah, well, just be sure you don't afore yourself into…the…I'm just gonna trail off now."

Lorelai patted the car again. "You're the only one who understands me, Sheila."

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Jess did not wake up as Rory had, in her own time and with the chance to ponder last night's events in the dim afterglow of snowfall. Luke's alarm went off at exactly 5:30 a.m. and, just in case it didn't wake him up, Luke threatened him with physical harm if he wasn't downstairs in half an hour. A little bit of snow didn't slow down anybody in Connecticut, and even if it had snowed a foot there were plenty of customers within walking distance of Luke's in Stars Hollow.

The diner was, as usual on a Sunday morning, packed.

"Cesar, I needed those two omelet specials yesterday!" Luke barked into the kitchen.

Two heaping plates appeared in the up window and Cesar's face peered through.

"You know, they say that yoga is very relaxing. Relieves tension and centers you spiritually. Maybe you should try it sometime."

"Yeah, I'll take that into careful consideration," Luke muttered before hurrying off to the unnumbered table in the back corner.

Jess made the rounds with a pot of regular and decaf in each hand, deftly refilling mugs as customers waved him over.

Luke glanced at him skeptically. "That looks real impressive and all, but if you spill coffee on any customers you're so fired."

"Aw, come on Uncle Luke, pouring coffee's just like riding a bike. I never forgot how."

Luke growled quietly at Jess' sarcastic use of formal address and moved on to the next table to take their order.

Jess smiled and wondered for the twentieth time that morning when Rory and her mom would show up for breakfast. She wouldn't leave Stars Hollow without coming to Luke's, would she? He wondered what she'd wear this morning. His train of thought was broken when Luke waved him over.

"Hey, you're doing a good job with refilling drinks and bussing tables, but I need you to act as a server too. See that 6-top over there? Think you can handle it?"

Jess looked in the direction of the table and saw an unfamiliar group. Each customer perused the menu with the energy of someone who would ask multiple questions and make a minimum of four changes to each item they ordered.

Without hesitating, he answered. "Sure, no problem." He knew Luke would be testing him this morning to see how hard he'd work before he acted like a jerk. He hadn't snapped yet.

There was no more room for thinking about Rory as he grabbed a pad of paper and pen.

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"Mom, I'm totally over this whole Jess thing. I swear." Rory and Lorelai unintentionally power-walked through the Stars Hollow streets, their pace increasing with the intensity of their conversation.

"Uh huh."

"Mom, I saw him last night--"

"What?" Lorelai stopped walking.

Rory took a deep breath and started over. "I saw Jess last night, at the Firelight Festival, and we talked so the suspense is over." Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "We talked like…old acquaintances." Another deep breath. "It's fine Mom, I promise. At least for now. He's thinking about staying in town--"

"Again, what?"

"He's thinking about staying in town—can we keep walking instead of standing on the sidewalk like we're about to have a fight?"

"Okay, sure, if that helps you."

"It does. He's thinking about staying in town with Luke. It's the only way he can afford to go to school. Mom, he's doing the best he can and he's in town because of Luke, not me. Everyone is not as focused on me as you are, you know." They had arrived at Luke's and stopped outside the door to finish their conversation.

"Well, that may be true and it's their loss. I know that Luke will be happy. It's just…I don't want you getting hurt again. I know he's not a bad person, but I don't trust him. Just be careful with yourself, okay?"

"I will be. You have to trust me to do that. It's okay that you want to help me out, but I'm not a girl anymore."

Lorelai pursed her lips seriously. "Not a girl, not yet a woman. I get it. I'm hip."

Rory rolled her eyes, "I know you did not just compare me to Britney Spears. For goodness sake let's have some coffee." That said, she pulled open the familiar diner door and stepped inside.

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter, though it was a bit shorter than I intended. Just seemed like a natural place to stop. You there, if you have an opinion, don't just say nothing, let me know. All opinions and constructive criticism are welcome and always helpful. **


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